Francis Jeffers tells of his regret over leaving Everton for Arsenal

Former Arsenal forward Francis Jeffers says he made the 'wrong move' by joining the Gunners from Everton and believes his 'head was turned' by Arsene Wenger's men. Jeffers joined Arsenal from his boyhood club in the summer of 2001 for around £8m but only made 39 appearances for the north Londoners, scoring eight times.

The one-time England international was seen one of the country's brightest young talents at Everton. He scored 21 times in 60 appearances for the Merseysiders before leaving at the tender age of 20. Now, at 36, Jeffers realises he left Goodison Park too soon.

"I've got to be really honest, looking back on my career I left the club too soon," Jeffers told Everton's official website. "(Arsenal) wasn't the right move for me but it was a difficult time because of the way our football club was then, it wasn't like it is now. It was a good move for me and the club at the time but it was definitely too soon and probably the wrong move.

"When you're sitting at home at think back at how your career's gone, I feel my head was turned. I was only young. It was difficult because I felt Arsenal were the best team in the league at the time. It was a tough decision for me because I'm an Evertonian, I'd been a season ticket holder all my life. It was a big decision but one that never worked out for me."

Jeffers did rejoin Everton on loan from Arsenal in 2003 but failed to produce the form that earned him a move to Highbury in the first place. A career that at one point seemed so promising simply petered out with unsuccessful spells at Charlton Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, A-League outfit Newcastle Jets and even Maltese side Floriana. Jeffers is now back at Everton, working with strikers in the club's academy.